One of the last things you might expect to find coming out of Europe is gritty noir that would give even the best West Coast authors a run for their money. Raw, brittle, dystopian - Katja Bohnet's stories reveal the darkest corners of the human experience, in language that could hardly be more sparse and lethal. A young man, stabbed and wondering why God is living in a room down the hall from him in a third-rate hostel. A couple wandering around an indefinite space between worlds. A woman ...

In TOO LATE, 15-year-old Greg is in a teen sex offenders’ facility because of an assault on his stepsister. He hates the professionals who try to help him and can’t wait to go home. When he enters a room for a meeting, his mother is there crying. Her partner, whom Greg calls Step Dude, sits at her side. They have come to tell Greg they don’t want him back. It’s too late to be good, they say. Greg comes to the crippling realization of what he has become: the father he has both hated and fea...

First Short Story: A young man has got a lot of dreams and wishes but no money. He wants to change his life and decides to rob a bank. He thinks if he gets a lot of money, things will be better and he will find a girlfriend. On the way a lot of things go wrong. Are these signs from God that he should not do what he plans? What will they write in the morning newspaper? Second Short Story: There are two friends in New York who want to go camping by a beautiful lake. The one is very sad becau...

Deserted by her people at a kennel one dog longs to go home. Will someone choose her and take her to their home? Or is she meant to be alone with no human to call her own. This story is based on the life of a real dog but told by her.

Further chronicles of Pinky, Tango, Loaner, and sundry visitors.

A young bridge painter is awakened from the hum of daily routine by a face-to-face encounter with a woman in free fall."The Bridge" is a story from Daniel Orozco's critically acclaimed collection Orientation, which leads the reader through the hidden lives and moral philosophies of bridge painters, men housebound by obesity, office temps, and warehouse workers. He reveals the secret pleasures of late-night supermarket trips for cookie binges, exceptional data entry, and an...

A dream romantic vacation to Iceland to see the Northern Lights turns into a nightmare when James's workaholic boyfriend, Richard, again insists on putting his work first. After a call from Richard's office, an argument ends with the couple splitting up for good. Not only has Richard left James, he's left him abandoned to explore the park alone, where James quickly gets lost. But just when things seem darkest, the Solstice works its magic, and James finds the guiding light he needs. Or it ...

A dark comedy short story about a man who adopts a stray cat that makes his life a living hell.

After accidentally picking up a drunk woman in a bar, a sociopath tries to stop being a psychopath (again).

He's chasing what's his...I've always been what my friends would call flighty.The only thing that I've ever been sure on, is that I was meant to be with Milo.He's been my best friend and my soulmate for as long as I can remember so when he breaks up with me out of the blue, I'm devastated.So I do what my friends think I'm best at and run.I book a flight to Iceland, determined to get away and try to mend my broken heart.I boar...

An unassuming man finds a secret the size of the universe hidden away behind his refrigerator. What he finds will change his life forever, and maybe not for the best.

This short work is written in lyrical and free verse poetry. All of the poems link together to form one story about Kate's steamy winter break at Lake Blue Moon.